Tag Archives: PM Shinzo Abe

Towards the end of last year, I saw a 2016 film Denial, written by David Hare and directed by Mick Jackson. The movie was based on a book entitled History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, … Continue reading →

Currently 56.7% of Japanese people oppose the restart of nuclear reactors while 34.4% support it (see Tokyo Shimbun dated August 16, 2015). Ignoring this national sentiment, PM Abe decided that nuclear reactors would re-start from the 11th of August. The … Continue reading →

Japan ranked 61st among 180 countries in the 2015 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), a Paris-based watchdog. It ranked 11th among 173 countries in 2010, but its position deteriorated quickly to 53rd among 178 countries … Continue reading →

Before the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant following the powerful earthquake and the tsunami of March 11, 2011, there were 54 nuclear reactors operating throughout Japan. They used to supply about 30% of the energy in the … Continue reading →

As expected, both China and South Korea reacted furiously to Prime Minister Abe’s visit to the controversial Yasukuni shrine in late December 2013. Diplomatic relations between Japan and these countries, which had already been strained, worsened further with no hope … Continue reading →

Hello & Welcome

My name is Shizue Tomoda. After retiring from the international civil service, I pursue my interest in creative writing.

My Creative Writing Works

This is a fascinating memoir/study by a former director of ILO's Colombo office that deciphers the tragic civil war, the complex ethnic composition, and social and labor issues of vulnerable women workers in Sri Lanka. It is a story of pain, toils and agony, but also of light.

This novel explores the life and times of a brave young Japanese woman named Sachiko who escapes the stifling culture in Japan for a life of promise in the United States. Through hardships and lost love, she comes to discover a new spiritual peace within herself.

A sweet memoir describing the process of how the author formed a lovely family with her two adopted cats Taro and Tomi. The fact is you can learn a lot from a cat, and this book serves as a beautiful portrait of the simple life.